DNA found on suspect’s shoe allegedly matches Kahala Beach stabbing victim

The Honolulu prosecutor’s office is asking a circuit judge to hold without bail an 18-year-old Niu Valley man in the July 8 stabbing of a 17-year-old girl, who was a stranger to him, at Kahala Beach.

Prosecutors in the case filed a motion Wednesday to deny Erik Willis bail. The motion outlines details of what happened and says that the DNA obtained from blood stains on his right shoe matches that of the girl’s DNA.

The prosecutors in the case allege Willis “poses an extreme danger to the community,” since he had no motive and “randomly selected and targeted a defenseless and unsuspecting person and caused her devastating injuries.”

An Oahu grand jury indicted Willis on Friday of second-degree attempted murder, and a bench warrant for his arrest was issued. His bail was set at $1 million, up from the $200,000 bail initially set.

His attorney, Eric Seitz, said Willis, who was out on bail, turned himself in to authorities Sunday morning. He previously sought to help his client surrender Friday, but the Sheriff Division had not yet received the warrant.

The court document shared allegations and details from the indictment, saying Willis was unknown to the victim, nor did she ever speak or have contact with him, although she had seen him there a few times before.

The girl was taken with multiple stab wounds to her right shoulder, neck and hands, to The Queen’s Medical Center, where she underwent emergency life-saving surgery. The trauma surgeon said she had a tracheal injury and suffered significant blood loss.

The 17-year-old was a frequent visitor to Kahala Beach, perhaps 20 times before. At about 1:45 p.m. July 8, she was lying on her stomach on the beach near 4671 Kahala Ave. when a man who had been walking on the beach sat 10 feet away from where she was lying. He then jumped on her back, covered her mouth and stabbed her neck five times, the motion says.

A woman said she saw the girl, but a bush blocked some of her view when she saw the girl’s legs kicking.

She saw the man’s head sticking up from the bushes, then saw him flee. She described him as in his 20s, Asian-Caucasian mix with medium length, dark curly hair wearing a surgical mask and a white T-shirt.

The witness said the girl walked toward her holding her neck, covered in blood.

A man doing landscaping nearby saw a shirtless white man wearing tan pants run to a construction site, wash his arms and face in a sink, then run away.

The girl’s father received a text showing surveillance video from a nearby home showing a man, identified by the girl as the suspect.

She was unable to talk due to her injuries, but managed to wiggle her right foot and blink to respond to police questions.

Willis was also caught on surveillance video — from homes in the area and buses — leaving and returning to his house.

Willis, who lives with his grandparents in Niu Valley, was taking weight training and boxing with a police officer who was a family friend.

That officer identified Willis in a surveillance video.

The motion to deny bail and Willis’ arraignment and plea will be held 1:30 p.m. today in Circuit Court beore Judge Shirley Kawamura.